The Ideal Retirement Haven You’ve Never Heard Of

[Sherlock]

Few places in the world meet all the criteria of an ideal retirement haven. Here’s one place that does that most of the world has never heard of: Hua Hin, Thailand.

New arrivals to Hua Hin appreciate the cleanliness of the area, the widespread use of English, the lack of corruption, and the low-cost, high standard of living, all of which make this a very attractive destination for retirees on a moderate budget. A couple could live a fully-appointed, rich, and interesting life here on a budget of as little as $1,100 per month.

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/...never-heard-of

So all you need is a portfolio of about 250k that yields 5 or 6% and you can retire. If your networth is over 250k and you're still working, maybe it's time to reevaluate things?

[brad]

These "retirement paradises" always make me wonder, though. What if you get sick? They mention good hospitals in Hua Hin, but are you covered by provincial health insurance? If not, can you afford to pay out of pocket for treatment? My stepmother's chemotherapy bill after a lengthy battle with cancer was $90,000, fortunately all covered by insurance. Those chemicals can't be cheap even in Thailand. How easy is it to become a permanent resident or citizen of Thailand? Are there restrictions on how long you can stay, whether you can buy a house, etc.? It would be interesting to talk to some of these retirees after they've been there 10 years or more to see if life is really as rosy as they thought it would be.

[spirit]

One of our friends has a dream to retire to a gold course. My idea of this is close to this article
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http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile...68073975_q.jpg

[spirit]

Sorry guys, the article is not the one I wanted. Will see if I can find it somewhere else.

[spirit]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...368632088.html

Try this one

[kcowan]

Relocating to Thailand
Best to explore this forum before falling for any pitch by a realtor.

[Four Pillars]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...368632088.html

Try this one

Wow - some major price drops.

The idea of a 'golf' community is nice, but the reality is that if a golfer is within a short drive of a course - that's likely good enough.

[Sherlock]

Personally I'd rather retire to South America than Asia. The same website has similar articles about Guatemala and Uruguay. Why stay in cold Canada when you could be lying on a beach somewhere warm?

[Four Pillars]

Personally I'd rather retire to South America than Asia.

Why would you prefer South America to Asia?

[Sherlock]

Mainly because I can relate to Latin American culture better than to any Asian culture. And learning rudimentary Spanish would be a lot easier than learning any Asian language. It's also closer to Canada if I need to come back. Also, those Latin American women... va va va voom! Woof woof! *pant pant pant*